Chutes and Ladders

This Chutes and Ladders game was initially designed by students from Skinner Middle School during the 2019 ACCESS Camp at CU Boulder. They were able to complete an initial design for the gameboard and playing pieces during their BBB workshop. The design was then tested with blind students and improvements based on feedback were made by BBB interns Anna Nguyen and Trinity Vigil at the University of Colorado. Below are pictures of the original board and the final board.

Students working on board
Prototype of Chutes and Ladders gameboard
Tactile gameboard for Chutes and Ladders with high contrast colors.

Changes to the board after testing include:

  • Raised grid for gameboard spaces painted black with red chutes against a white background to help create contrast for low vision.
  • Raised foam circle for starting spot and star to mark game finish.
  • Arrow notches cut in each space to guide the direction of play in moving across the board.
  • Smooth texture added to the chutes distinguised chutes from spaces on the board. The smooth texture was created by filling in the engraved space with a mixture of glue and paint for color.
  • Tactile dots added to mark the beginning and end of each chute and ladder. 
  • Playing pieces with different shapes and 3D printed with brightly colored filament.

Additional Resources:

Download files for laser cut gameboard and 3D printed playing pieces